Increasing Melanin Gene.



I think the first place I saw the term was as a type of axanthic (black and white) ball in "The Ball Python Manual" which the Barker's (VPI) co-wrote. In spite of the "gene" part of the name I'm not sure that anyone has actually proven any line genetically reproducible yet. They just seem to pop up from time to time but hopefully a line or two will be proven eventually.



Here are pics of one that I bought that was reportedly an import but I know some captive animals suddenly change to look like this with a shed for reasons I don't know. When I first got her she shed clear, had only the faintest odd lemon yellow on the dorsal stripe. I’m not sure if the clear shed thing is common to any much less the original animals for which the term IMG was coined.







After a quick growth spurt she started getting darker and with more of that odd yellow over several sheds. Dark pigment (melanin) started increasing in her sides and started to show up in her sheds. This increase in dark pigment is why I tend to lump her as an IMG.







She is out on breeding loan and will should produce her first clutch next year. Hopefully someone else will find something out about the genetics (or lack of genetics) of these before I do.

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